I am still in school in UK and I recently wrote my last exam of the year – Further Pure Mathematics. That sounds like hard work, but the real suffering is just about to start!
The Lesotho National Mountain Bike Team has been sponsored with a high-performance cycling training programme, called The Sufferfest. Much of the training is done indoors on a stationary bike trainer and is very, very hard work. The idea is to get in peak fitness for the World MTB Championships to be held in South Africa in August. So much for school holidays!
To represent Lesotho at the World MTB Championships is my number 1 goal. Lesotho has never had a team at the Worlds before, but this year it will be held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where I raced for the African Championships earlier this year and the World Cup last year.
Two obstacles stand in my way to reach this dream: –
- Finances for the flight to South Africa
- Retaining my Lesotho National Champion title.
These two are actually inter-linked, because if I can get to Lesotho in time for the championships, I am confident that I can win again.
My grandparents have advanced me the money to buy a ticket, but it cost £1,000 and I really want to do my best to repay them because they are pensioners and have already spent so much looking after me and taking me to races. I also need new tyres, a bike travel bag, new helmet, light-weight racing shoes and some of my bike parts are wearing out – so the realistic total is £1,500. Good news is that I am half-way there with donations from Penarth Round Table and Dinas Powys Baptist Church.
My plan is to fly out on 14th July to compete in national marathon championships on 17th and Cross-Country XC on 21st. I have heard that the other boys have been training very hard to beat me this year, but I think I will also be on top of my game.
The past few weeks have been quite difficult. Apart from school exams, I have also experienced a lot of mechanical problems and the problem got so bad that a couple of weeks ago I had to pull out of a race after less than 1km. After many visits to the local bicycle shop (and more of my grandparents’ money), the bike is back in shape again and I managed to get another top 5 finish in a British Cycling regional race. I’m still aiming to finish the season in the top 10 British Cycling junior rankings.
I would like to once again thank all my sponsors, friends and family for your support. I hope I can continue to make you proud!
Best Regards,
Lichaba
Lichaba West, Lesotho/ Wales Cyclist 